23 April 1972

An extract from OMEGA Lifetime - The Family Edition

A GREAT MOMENT IN TIME

The Apollo 16 Lunar Module lands on the Moon, piloted by astronaut Charles Duke along with mission commander John Young. Duke, at 36, was the youngest human to walk on the lunar surface. During the 71 hours spent on the Moon, they conducted three extra-vehicular activities, or moonwalks, totalling 20 hours and 14 minutes. They drove the Lunar Roving Vehicle 26.7km/16.6miles and collected 95.8kg/211lb of lunar samples. Before returning to Earth, Duke placed a photo of his family on the lunar surface. He then snapped a photo of the picture to show to his kids. With all probability, the image is still where Duke left it because the Moon has no atmosphere – no wind, no rain, no dust storms. But the cosmic radiation and extreme temperatures have probably both faded and deteriorated the family photo.